Netflix Aspect Ratio

Do you love watching movies or TV shows on Netflix? Are you having fun watching your favorites on Netflix? Have you ever facing some problems or errors while watching on Netflix? Recently, some users of Netflix (mostly the new users) rage in some communities. The reason behind the rage is because they are seeing the black bars on the movie or TV shows they are watching. Are you one of them? What do you think exactly happening?

For your information, some movies and TV shows on Netflix service might be bordered by the black bars. Those black bars are known as wings or letterbox. What makes those things appear on the screen? Apparently, those black bars appear due to the aspect ratio the movie or TV show was filmed in. What is the Netflix aspect ratio?

Netflix aspect ratio is the image that describes the proportional relationship between its width and its height. This one is commonly in the form of two numbers separated by the colon, as in 16:9. For the a:b aspect ratio, if the width is divided into a units of equal length and the height is measured using this same length unit, the height will be measured to be b units. It will remain the same no matter how big or small the image is.

Are you still confused? Here is the example for you. Let’s say there is a group of images that all have an aspect ratio of 16:9. In this case, one image might be 16 inches wide and 9 inches high and another one might be 16 centimeters wide and 9 centimeters high. As for the third one, it might be 8 yards wide and 4.5 yards high.

Basically, aspect ratio focuses the relationship of the width to the height, not an image’s actual size. So, if you are seeing them on your screen while you are watching Netflix, it means that the title was filmed in the aspect ratio that is not the perfect fit for your screen you are using. For instance, some movies and TV shows are shot in the format that are wider than your screen. In this case, Netflix prefers to place the black bars above and below it rather than stretching the picture. Several ultra wide screens might also be wider than the particular movies or TV shows. If you have a 21:9 screen or more than it, the black bars might be places in some positions including above, below, and to either side of the video. It is intended to maintain the aspect ratio of the movie or TV show.

In the past, most of TV shows and movies were shot in 4:3 aspect ratio. It was before HDTV’s became popular. In this modern era, the high definition programming is hot in 16:9. It is because most newer screens are now HD. To make it perfect, the black bars are became the option to fill the additional space instead of scretching the picture to fit the screen.